Teleostei (teleosts) >
Perciformes/Serranoidei (Groupers) >
Serranidae (Sea basses: groupers and fairy basslets)
Etymology: Hypoplectrus: Greek, hypo = under + Greek, plektron = sting, spur (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Poey.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 3 - 13 m (Ref. 9710). Tropical
Western Atlantic: Belize to Panama; throughout the rest of the Caribbean. Absent off the coast of Venezuela. Antilles (Ref. 26938).
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 15.2 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 13442)
Body blackish (the intensity of the black can vary from bluish to brownish ). All fins pigmented, including the pectorals.
A solitary species (Ref. 26340) inhabiting shallow reefs (Ref. 9710). Feeds on fishes and crustaceans (Ref. 26180). Often found near the bottom around soft and hard corals. Occasionally been seen spawning with the H. chlorurus (Ref. 26938)
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Pelagic spawner.
Domeier, M.L., 1994. Speciation in the serranid fish Hypoplectrus. Bull. Mar. Sci. 54(1):103-141. (Ref. 26407)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
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Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 27.9 - 28.5, mean 28 °C (based on 130 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.01778 (0.00683 - 0.04629), b=3.03 (2.80 - 3.26), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 4.0 ±0.66 se; based on food items.
Resilience (Ref.
120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Nutrients (Ref.
124155): Calcium = 77.8 [42.1, 163.2] mg/100g; Iron = 0.638 [0.329, 1.236] mg/100g; Protein = 18.2 [16.3, 20.0] %; Omega3 = 0.124 [0.071, 0.212] g/100g; Selenium = 20.9 [11.3, 44.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 97.8 [25.6, 435.7] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.23 [0.77, 1.92] mg/100g (wet weight);